Wagner Moura Finally Got His Homecoming in the Form of 'The Secret Agent'

""What the fuck? How did that happen?" Actor Wagner Moura was sitting inside a conference room at the Neon offices in Los Angeles, coming to terms with the fact that his new film " The Secret Agent," featuring a performance that made him the first South American to win Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, was also the first Portuguese-speaking role that the proud Brazilian had in over a decade."

""In terms of preparation, that was probably the most intense thing that I've done, because I had to learn a language in order to play [Escobar]. José Padilha is a really crazy person, because I was a skinny Brazilian guy. How could you cast me to play Pablo Escobar?," said Moura to IndieWire. "I had to really honor that choice... learning a language in order to play a character, reading everything about it. Body transformation, gaining 40 pounds, living in Colombia. Insanity.""

"After first gaining acclaim as the lead of the controversial, Golden Bear-winning "Elite Squad" in 2008, Moura spent a few years as one of Brazil's top stars before once again re-teaming with the film's producer/director José Padilha to play Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar on the pioneering Netflix series "Narcos," his true international crossover, delivering a Golden Globes-nominated performance that was all effort."

IndieWire Honors Winter 2025 will celebrate creators and stars responsible for crafting some of the year's best films at a Los Angeles ceremony on December 4. The event showcases filmmakers, artisans, and performers with new interviews and tributes. Wagner Moura reacted in disbelief when his film The Secret Agent earned him the first Cannes Best Actor win for a South American and was his first Portuguese-speaking role in over a decade. Moura rose to prominence in Elite Squad and achieved international crossover as Pablo Escobar on Narcos, a role that required language study, a 40-pound body change, and time living in Colombia. Moura continued to star in film and television projects with critical and commercial acclaim.

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